The Masticator was started by two Minneapolis-area visionaries as a zine in the summer of 2004. Issue two was never realized, and half of its founding force moved to Brooklyn. Three years later, the electronic version of The Masticator has far eclipsed its single print-bound predecessor. Today, The Masticator posts art reviews, random urban snapshots, gentle political mockery, and other short articles on subjects like cars, fashion, and books.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The Wapatui

When a colleague asked me if I had ever made jungle juice in high school or college, I had no idea what she was talking about -- until she told me what it was: enough grain alcohol to fill a trash can mixed with a lot of fruit.

Where I'm from, we called it a wapatui, or as in this reference from an article in Newsweek about John Kerry, a wapatooey:

“His speeches can be a hash of proposals and exhortations--a 'wapatooey,' as pour-it-all-in-the-punchbowl drinks are known on some college campuses.”

Each guest to the party brings a bottle of alcohol. All the alcohol is mixed in a large garbage can or other suitable container. Several different kinds of juice are added along with sliced apples, oranges, kiwi, pineapple, papaya. Just about any kind of fruit will work. It is best served over ice in a plastic cup. There are several different recipes.

Why you'd add a case of beer to that mix, I don't know. As far as I know, the wapatuis in the Twin Cities area tended to be vodka or everclear, plus lots of fresh fruit in a large tub or trash can. Most people called it a wop.